Payne commits to Loyola

Quinten Payne has grown up playing countless hours of basketball with his older siblings Cully and Katelyn.

Four years younger than Cully, Quinten has never had the chance to play on the same team in a competitive setting.

That will change in the fall of 2013 when Quinten heads to Loyola University. The 6-foot-4 St. Charles North junior shooting guard committed to Loyola on Friday, joining Cully at the school while becoming the first St. Charles North boys basketball player to earn a Division I scholarship.

Cully Payne is sitting out this year at Loyola after transferring from Iowa to play with new Ramblers coach Porter Moser. He’ll be a junior when Quinten enters as a freshman.

“I’ve never been able to play with him in middle school, high school,” Quinten said. “If he wouldn’t have had that medical redshirt and then transfer I would have never been able to play with him. It kind of has worked out with fate where he got hurt so we can play two years together and really build that relationship. He’s a true point guard and can help me be a lot better and me being a wing I can help him. I think it will be a great relationship.”

The two already are like you’d expect a couple athletic brothers to be, competing at everything. St. Charles North coach Tom Poulin has known the Paynes for year and went with Quinten on some of his college visits.

“It’s entertaining to me to be around the two of them at the same time,” Poulin said. “They are ultra competitive. They will be in each other’s face. Anything you can do I can do better. And then there is a hug, and I love you. There is still that brotherly love. For all the talking back and forth they are as tight as kids can be.”

“I would say our family is one of the more competitive families you’ll meet because on the court we’ll do whatever it takes to win,” Quinten said. “I know he (Cully) will push me harder than any other player. I think he’ll be pushing me and I’ll be pushing him and at he end of the day I know he’s still my brother and he’s still going to love me. I think it’s going to be perfect.”

There were college coaches at several St. Charles North games last year. The interest in Payne went up this summer, said Poulin.

“Last year we swamped with emails and phone calls. This summer we were swamped by emails, phone calls and offers,” Poulin said. “This year (the interest) was accompanied by offers.

“From my standpoint, I felt it (Loyola) was a great spot to be. That coaching staff was really cultivating a family atmosphere. The fact Cully is there it will make it a great transition for him. Location is great. He can shoot home if he needs to with family there and around him. I’m really proud of Quinten. He took his time, didn’t rush into anything because his brother was there.”

Quinten said it was important not to go somewhere just because Cully was there. He had the offer since spring but waited to make sure he was a priority for Loyola independent of Cully. Quinten also had scholarship offers from Miami (Ohio), Davidson, Ohio, Drake, Colorado State, Western Michigan and Missouri State. He had unofficial visits planned for Stanford and Indiana.

“I would not be a package deal. They really recruited me as my own self,” Quinten said. “That as my No. 1 thing. I didn’t want to be recruited just as Cully’s little brother. I thought it was a great opportunity. One, to play with my older bother. And two, to play in the city of Chicago. I think it is going to be a great fit. They are on the upswing.”

Besides playing with Cully, the draw of Chicago and the Loyola coaches had a lot to do with the decision. Quinten will double major in accounting/finance and business.

“I looked at a ton of different things,” Payne said. “Even after college with this degree going into the business world in Chicago is a huge thing. You have so many opportunities.

“Having an on-campus arena in downtown Chicago is just a great thing. Especially when you get it going. I think they will be selling out games and it will be hard to get a ticket.”

Loyola finished 16-15 last year. They’ve added a pair of transfers and are pushing to keep local players like Payne at home.

“Really stressed changing the culture there,” Poulin said. “They want to really hit the local scene and get some recruits. I think that’s the first step in their process in their culture and turning things around at Loyola.”

Payne said he is working on getting stronger and several different skills to make the transition to Division I basketball.

“I can’t just say I have to work on one thing, my whole game has to grow a lot to be able to play at the next level,” Payne said.

Basketball runs in the family. His father Kent, the athletic director at Elgin Community College, played college basketball at Southern Indiana and his mom at DePaul. His sister Katelyn transferred to Eastern Illinois last year from Gulf Coast College in Florida.

Quinten Payne started his high school career at Bishop Verot in Fort Myers, Fla., and he averaged 12.3 points and 5 rebounds as a freshman as the team made it to the Elite Eight.

Expectations were sky high with Payne moving back to St. Charles last year and joining a talented returning group. But the North Stars never clicked and finished at 14-14.

Payne averaged 14 points, 5 rebounds and 4 assists a game.

“I’m proud of him for handling pressure of following in Cully’s footsteps and pressure of moving in here,” Poulin said. “There was no ceiling on expectations. The way he handled the disappointment of last season and stepping it up with workouts and coming into this season, I’m proud of him for the kind of person he is. He’s earned what Loyola is giving him.”

“It’s (the decision) going to relax him. Not that he’s been stressed out but it’s been a big decision. Go out and play without worrying who is in the stands. I think he’ll play a little more free and loose and it will help him.”